A Guide on Labour Inspection Intervention in the Informal Economy - A participatory method

The informal economy comprises more than half of the global labour force and more than 90% of micro and small enterprises worldwide. It encompasses a huge diversity of situations, employers and workers, most of them operating out of survival needs, especially in industrializing countries. In these countries, the protection provided by regulatory systems may not apply in law or in practice to informal economic units and workers therein; the scarce resources of enforcement agencies along with the particular challenges related to the informal economy may also lead governments to concentrate their efforts in formal enterprises. To address these challenges, the ILO, together with labour inspectorates from selected African Member States, developed and piloted a simple and effective process to address fundamental labour rights and occupational safety and health deficits through labour inspection as presented in this guide.